How Speech Therapy Helped MeBack in the spring of 2023, I told my new MS specialist that, for years, I’d been having problems voluntarily swallowing at times. This mostly occurred at night, while lying... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Am I Still A Musician If I Can't Play?Multiple sclerosis (MS) has affected almost every part of my body. I have brain lesions in the periventricular white matter. What symptoms they cause is not clear to me. Most... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments41 comments
Unusual head sensationsSometimes I hear whooshes and clicks in my head after going to bed and trying to fall asleep. No pain with it, just annoying. It happens right when I start...Reactions0reactionsComments9 replies
How (and Why) I Garden With MSOne constant feature of living with MS is that my body rebels every time I move. This could keep me from doing the things that mean the most. Gardening is... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments4 comments
What Daily Movement is Like for MeMovement is part of every moment of my daily routine! From the minute I turn off my alarm, here is what movement looks like for me. I am very fortunate... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments19 comments
Sensory Overload - ReloadMultiple sclerosis can evoke quite a collection of symptoms. One of them is sensory overload. Since we have five senses, we can get zapped in endless combinations by one or... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments6 comments
How I Get Around Without a CarOn December 23, 2021, I came to a stop at a familiar intersection near my home. But my attempt to make a right turn was met with considerable resistance. I... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments35 comments
What Causes My Cog Fog and How I Manage ItFolks, today as of my writing this is the kind that leaves me gasping and reeling. It’s not the first day I’ve had like this, and it won’t be the... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments46 comments
How Disease Onset and Rejection Initially Contributed to the Loss of My Sex DriveSexual desire has always been an important part of my identity. Something that makes me feel like the spark plugs are all firing away, a sure sign of my mental... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Dear Doctor: An Open Letter to My Medical TeamIf I had a dollar for every moment I wanted to scream at a doctor to please listen to me, well, I wouldn’t be rich enough to beat Elon Musk... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments12 comments
How I Talk Myself Through My MS Journey Using Transactional AnalysisMany people with chronic illness benefit from practicing some form of psychotherapy. It can easily be added to drug and physical therapies, meditation, prayer, and other kinds of wellness practices... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments9 comments
Tired of Explaining Yourself to the Entire World All the Time? Me Too!“Lucy, you gotta lotta ‘splainin’ to do!” -Ricky Ricardo, from the series I Love Lucy. “I never explain anything.” -Mary Poppins, from the film Mary Poppins. Folks, I feel like... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments36 comments
COVID-19 and Its Impact on My MS: Part 2In Part I of this series, I described what transpired during day one of my six days of COVID symptoms. This article will cover the rest of that first day... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Mirror, Mirror, Take a Guess - Is It Aging or MS?Before I developed MS, I frequently gazed at myself in the mirror. What I saw then and what I see now couldn’t be more different. What was once a reflection... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments25 comments
A (Nearly) Complete List of What I Do to Get Through the DayHave you ever stopped to think about what you do, in detail, to get yourself through the day and night? I decided to write it all out, everything I do... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments27 comments
COVID-19 and Its Impact on My MS: Part 1January 3, 2022 - The day began just like any other. I spent the morning in my home office, working online as a multiple sclerosis advocate, moderating this very site... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Six Ways to Earn Money After an MS DiagnosisJust been diagnosed with MS and worried it will affect your earning ability? Medically retired on disability and need to make some extra money? There is no time like the... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments15 comments
Trouble Swallowing? Me, Too!Among the many MS symptoms I have experienced, there is one I have neglected to write about: dysphagia. Derived from the Greek “dys” meaning disordered or bad, and "phagia", meaning... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments12 comments
Living With MS and Now Macular DegenerationLife might feel simpler and less stressful if multiple sclerosis were the only medical condition I had to manage. Alas, it is not. I have been collecting other chronic medical... By Kim Dolce3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments7 comments
A Lesser Known Symptom of Sensory OverloadMy Big Mac Meal order flashes on the screen while a disembodied voice booms “$8.36 at the first window.” “Thank you,” I say cheerfully, and pull forward in the drive-thru... By Kim Dolce4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments35 comments
